I blast Brian Eno when I wake:
An Ending (Ascent) vibrates
and hums in my torso & limbs,
emanates up through the skylight
and back down, sun spilling
onto the opal tile floor.
It’s Sunday, and this is my church.
I think about the man here in Oakland
who, tired of waking to junk
dumped in his yard,
set out a statue of the Buddha.
Soon, no more trash.
People lined up to sweep
and to pray. They took care
of the Buddha, built an altar,
brought the man more food
than his family could eat.
And I think: he could’ve sat out there
all night with a shotgun, waiting—
but no.
With this one peaceful gesture
he sparked kindness
instead of hatred; humanity
over retaliation. Ascension.
These notes, these chords, these tones—
they rip my whole heart open,
empty it into this room.
@BARB REYNOLDS